MORELS FOOD RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lift the morels carefully from the hot water in order to leave any grit behind in the liquid. Rinse a few times to be sure all the grittiness is gone. Discard the liquid and dry the morels lightly with paper towels. Set aside.
• Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Dredge them in flour and shake off the excess. Heat half the clarified butter in a large saute pan and cook the chicken in 2 batches over medium-low heat until browned on both sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to an ovenproof casserole.
• Add the rest of the clarified butter to the pan along with the shallots, drained morels, and garlic. Saute over medium heat for 2 minutes, tossing and stirring constantly. Pour the Madeira into the pan and reduce the liquid by half over high heat, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the creme fraiche, cream, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 3¿4 teaspoon pepper. Boil until the mixture starts to thicken, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 12 minutes, or until the chicken is heated through. To make ahead, refrigerate the chicken and sauce in the casserole and reheat slowly on top of the stove.

Steps:

• Remove the morels from the soaking liquid with a slotted spoon. Squeeze as much excess water out of the soaked morels as possible, then strain the soaking liquid through a sieve lined with kitchen paper. Reserve 100ml of the liquid for the recipe (save the rest for stocks and soup). Wash the morels in plenty of water to remove any grit. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the morels again. Chop any large morels in half and reserve.
• Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan, melt the butter over a medium heat until foaming. Add the chicken and colour lightly for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and put to one side.
• In the butter that’s left in the pan, cook the soaked, cleaned morels and button mushrooms for 1-2 minutes to soften, then season with a pinch of salt. Add the boiled wine, reserved 100ml morel liquid and the double cream. Bring to the boil, then return the chicken breasts to the pan, coating them in the cream. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 6 minutes or so until the chicken is just cooked through.
• While the chicken breasts are cooking, bring 200ml water, a pinch of salt and the 15g butter to the boil in a saucepan, add the chopped leeks, cover with a lid and cook on full boil for 5-10 minutes until tender and buttery.
• Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon and keep warm, loosely wrapped in foil. Turn up the heat and reduce the sauce on full boil for 7 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• With a slotted spoon, lift the leeks from their juices and mix in with the reduced morel sauce. Return the chicken breasts to the sauce to reheat for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if required.
• Bring the pan to the table and serve the chicken breasts with the leeks, generously spooning over the creamy morel sauce. Bon appétit!